• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.146-152
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• 2012

MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) are about 21-25 nucleotides in length and regulate mRNA translation by base pairing to partially complementary sites, predominantly in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of the target mRNA. In this study, the expression profile of miRNAs was compared and analyzed for the establishment of miRNA-related odontoblast differentiation using MDPC-23 cells derived from mouse dental papilla cells. To determine the expression profile of miRNAs during the differentiation of MDPC-23 cells, we employed miRNA microarray analysis, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Alizaline red-S staining. In the miRNA microarray analysis, 11 miRNAs were found to be up- or down-regulated more than 3-fold between day 0 (control) and day 5 of MDPC-23 cell differentiation among the 1,769 miRNAs examined. In qRT-PCR analysis, the expression levels of two of these molecules, miR-194 and miR-126, were increased and decreased in the control MDPC-23 cells compared with the MDPC-23 cells at day 5 of differentiation, respectively. Importantly, the overexpression of miR-194 significantly accelerated mineralization compared with the control cultures during the differentiation of MDPC-23 cells. These results suggest that the miR-194 augments MDPC-23 cell differentiation, and potently accelerates the mineralization process. Moreover, these in vitro results show that different miRNAs are deregulated during the differentiation of MDPC-23 cells, suggesting the involvement of these genes in the differentiation and mineralization of odontoblasts.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.954-960
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• 2008

MiRNAs (microRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNA molecules of ~21 nucleotides that down- regulate the expression of target genes at post-transcriptional level. In this study, we first accomplished a preliminary scan of miRNA expression using 65 and 90 day fetal pig skeletal muscle samples by microarray hybridization, and 34 miRNAs showed strong positive signals. Five of these miRNAs were selected for further investigation by real-time RT-PCR. The statistical analyses indicated that three miRNAs exhibited significant differential expression (p<0.05) during porcine muscle development from 65 to 90 days of gestation, e.g., miR-24 and miR-424 were down-regulated while miR-133a was up-regulated. Multi-tissue RT-PCR was performed to detect the expression patterns of the five miRNA precursors. The results showed that most of these precursor miRNAs were ubiquitously expressed in different porcine tissues.

• BMB Reports
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.593-598
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• 2009

Cell cycle progression is regulated by both transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) emerge as a new class of small non-coding RNA regulators of cell cycle as recent evidence suggests. It is hypothesized that expression of specific miRNAs oscillates orderly along with cell cycle progression. However, the oscillated expression patterns of many candidate miRNAs have yet to be determined. Here, we describe miRNA expression profiling in double-thymidine synchronized HeLa cells as cell cycle progresses. Twenty-five differentially expressed miRNAs were classified into five groups based on their cell cycle-dependent expression patterns. The cyclic expression of six miRNAs (miR-221, let-7a, miR-21, miR-34a, miR-24, miR-376b) was validated by real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). These results suggest that specific miRNAs, along with other key factors are required for maintaining and regulating proper cell cycle progression. The study deepens our understanding on cell cycle regulation.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.105-112
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• 2017

Background: The expression of miRNAs in response to Helicobacter pylori infection has not been well explored. The aims of this study were to evaluate the H. pylori associated miRNAs in the gastric epithelial cells. Methods: We investigated gastric epithelial cell-line (HS3C) exposed H. pylori over 3 months and AGS cell-line (AGS) exposed H. pylori for 6 hour. After the extraction of miRNA from these cell-lines, microarray and real time PCR were performed to confirm the alteration of expression. Results: All 12 miRNAs chosen for real-time PCR are based on the result of microarray and their potential functions related to H. pylori infection. miR-21, miR-221, miR-222 were upregulated in the H. pylori infected AGS cell for 6 hours and HS3C cells. miR-99b, miR-200b, miR-203b and miR-373 were downregulated in the H. pylori infected AGS cell for 6 hours and HS3C cells. miR-23a, miR-23b, miR-125b, miR-141 and miR-155 were upregulated in HS3C cell line but not in H. pylori infected AGS cell for 6 hours. Conclusion: miR-21, miR-99b, miR-125b, miR-200b, miR-203b, miR-221, miR-222, and miR-373 are supposed to be related with oncogenesis of H. pylori infection. Further studies are needed for the evaluation of the function of these confirmed miRNAs.

• Journal of Breast Cancer
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.371-381
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• 2018

Purpose: Immune suppression is common in patients with advanced breast cancer but the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon have not been sufficiently studied. In this study, we aimed to identify B7 family members that were able to predict the immune status of patients, and which may serve as potential targets for the treatment of breast cancer. We also aimed to identify microRNAs that may regulate the expression of B7 family members. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas data from 1,092 patients with breast cancer, including gene expression, microRNA expression and survival data, were used for statistical and survival analyses. Polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were used to measure messenger RNA and protein expression, respectively. Luciferase assay was used to investigate direct microRNA target. Results: Bioinformatic analysis predicted that microRNA (miR)-93, miR-195, miR-497, and miR-340 are potential regulators of the immune evasion of breast cancer cells, and that they exert this function by targeting CD274, PDCD1LG2, and NCR3LG1. We chose CD274 for further investigations. We found that miR-195, miR-497, and CD274 expression levels were inversely correlated in MDA-MB-231 cells, and miR-195 and miR-497 expressions mimic inhibited CD274 expression in vitro. Mechanistic investigations demonstrated that miR-195 and miR-497 directly target CD274 3' untranslated region. Conclusion: Our data indicated that the level of B7 family members can predict the prognosis of breast cancer patients, and miR-195/miR-497 regulate CD274 expression in triple negative breast cancer. This regulation may further influence tumor progression and the immune tolerance mechanism in breast cancer and may be able to predict the effect of immunotherapy on patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6145-6149
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• 2012

Objective: To identify whether saliva supernatant miR-21 can serve as a novel potential biomarker in patients with esophageal cancer (EC). Methods: 32 patients with EC and 16 healthy controls were recruited in this study. Total RNA was extracted from saliva supernatant samples for measurement of miR-21 levels using RT-qPCR and relationships between miR-21 levels and clinical characteristics of EC patients were analyzed. Results: miR-21 was significantly higher in the EC than control groups. The sensitivity and specificity were 84.4% and 62.5% respectively. Supernatant miR-21 levels showed no significant correlation with cancer stage, differentiation and nodal metastasis. Conclusions: Saliva supernatant miR-21 may be a novel biomarker for EC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.2839-2843
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• 2013

Objective: To investigate the effects of miR-106b on malignant characteristics of gastric cancer cells, and explore possible mechanisms. Methods: Expression of miR-106b, p21 and E2F was determined by real-time PCR. Transfection with miR-106b mimics was conducted, and gastric cancer cells with miR-106b overexpression were obtained. Cells transfected with mimic mutants and those without transfection served as negative and blank controls, respectively. Flow cytometry and transwell assays were adopted to detect the effects of miR-106b overexpression on cell cycle, migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells. Results:. The expression of miR- 106b in gastric cancer cells was significantly higher than that in normal gastric mucosa cells. Furthermore, the expression level of miR-106b rose according to the degree of malignacy among the three GC cell strains (MKN- 45 > SGC-7901 > MKN-28). Overexpression of miR-106b shortened the G0/G1 phase and accelerated cell cycle progression, while reducing p21 and E2F5, without any significant effects on the capacity for migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells. Conclusions: miR-106b may promote cell cycling of gastric cancer cells through regulation of p21 and E2F5 target gene expression.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.490-496
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• 2017

Imatinib resistance has become a major clinical problem for chronic myeloid leukemia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the involvement of MEG3, a lncRNA, in imatinib resistance and demonstrate its underlying mechanisms. RNAs were extracted from CML patients' peripheral blood cells and human leukemic K562 cells, and the expression of MEG3 was measured by RT-qPCR. Cell proliferation and cell apoptosis were evaluated. Western blotting was used to measure the protein expression of several multidrug resistant transporters. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to determine the binding between MEG3 and miR-21. Our results showed that MEG3 was significantly decreased in imatinib-resistant CML patients and imatinib-resistant K562 cells. Overexpression of MEG3 in imatinib-resistant K562 cells markedly decreased cell proliferation, increased cell apoptosis, reversed imatinib resistance, and reduced the expression of MRP1, MDR1, and ABCG2. Interestingly, MEG3 binds to miR-21. MEG3 and miR-21 were negatively correlated in CML patients. In addition, miR-21 mimics reversed the phenotype of MEG3-overexpression in imatinib-resistant K562 cells. Taken together, MEG3 is involved in imatinib resistance in CML and possibly contributes to imatinib resistance through regulating miR-21, and subsequent cell proliferation, apoptosis and expression of multidrug resistant transporters.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.19.1-19.11
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• 2018

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small non-coding RNAs, have been implicated in various diseases and cellular functions as microregulators of gene expression. Although the history of miRNA investigation in autoimmune $Sj{\ddot{o}}gren^{\prime}s$ syndrome (SjS) is fairly short, a substantial amount of data has already been accumulated. These findings clearly indicate potential clinical implications of miRNAs, such as autoantigen expression and autoantibody production, viral miRNAs regulating the calcium signaling pathway, and aberrant immune cell regulation and cytokine production. Research endeavors in the field are currently underway to select disease-specific diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers by utilizing different types of tissues or biological specimens of SjS patients. Various techniques for miRNA analysis with different stringencies have been applied, with the most recent one being next-generation sequencing. This review compiles and highlights differentially-expressed miRNAs in various samples collected from SjS patients and their potential implications in the pathogenesis of SjS. To facilitate the development of miRNA-targeted personalized therapy in the future, we urge more follow-up studies that confirm these findings and elucidate the immunopathological roles of differentially-expressed miRNAs. Furthermore, improved diagnostic criteria for the disease itself will minimize sampling errors in patient recruitment, preventing the generation of inconsistent data.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.1824-1836
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• 2020

Objective: On the hypothesis that grazing of cattle prompts organs to secrete or internalize circulating microRNAs (c-miRNAs) in parallel with changes in energy metabolism, we aimed to clarify biological events in adipose, skeletal muscle, and liver tissues in grazing Japanese Shorthorn (JSH) steers by a transcriptomic approach. Methods: The subcutaneous fat (SCF), biceps femoris muscle (BFM), and liver in JSH steers after three months of grazing or housing were analyzed using microarray and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), followed by gene ontology (GO) and functional annotation analyses. Results: The results of transcriptomics indicated that SCF was highly responsive to grazing compared to BFM and liver tissues. The 'Exosome', 'Carbohydrate metabolism' and 'Lipid metabolism' were extracted as the relevant GO terms in SCF and BFM, and/or liver from the >1.5-fold-altered mRNAs in grazing steers. The qPCR analyses showed a trend of upregulated gene expression related to exosome secretion and internalization (charged multivesicular body protein 4A, vacuolar protein sorting-associated protein 4B, vesicle associated membrane protein 7, caveolin 1) in the BFM and SCF, as well as upregulation of lipolysis-associated mRNAs (carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A, hormone-sensitive lipase, perilipin 1, adipose triglyceride lipase, fatty acid binding protein 4) and most of the microRNAs (miRNAs) in SCF. Moreover, gene expression related to fatty acid uptake and inter-organ signaling (solute carrier family 27 member 4 and angiopoietin-like 4) was upregulated in BFM, suggesting activation of SCF-BFM organ crosstalk for energy metabolism. Meanwhile, expression of plasma exosomal miR-16a, miR-19b, miR-21-5p, and miR-142-5p was reduced. According to bioinformatic analyses, the c-miRNA target genes are associated with the terms 'Endosome', 'Caveola', 'Endocytosis', 'Carbohydrate metabolism', and with pathways related to environmental information processing and the endocrine system. Conclusion: Exosome and fatty acid metabolism-related gene expression was altered in SCF of grazing cattle, which could be regulated by miRNA such as miR-142-5p. These changes occurred coordinately in both the SCF and BFM, suggesting involvement of exosome in the SCF-BFM organ crosstalk to modulate energy metabolism.